


cutlery

by sunless_arizona



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Animal Death, Cannibalism, Canon-Typical Violence, Complicated Relationships, Fluff, Homelessness, Other, Rabies, Venom has No Gender, venom is a weird alien, why he used the pronouns he does will be explained at a later date
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-07-27 10:39:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16217333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunless_arizona/pseuds/sunless_arizona
Summary: Some things they can't save themselves from.





	1. he is the glass that litters the floors

The ocean softly churned, salty air flowing by in a light breeze. The lights of a nearby boardwalk, loaded with ferris wheels and food stands, shone prettily off the dark waves. The stars twinkled steadily, some revealing themselves to be simply passing planes. The moon was dark, only a tiny sliver of its glory shining in the sky like a sharp tooth.

  Eddie watched the water quietly. Him and Venom had come out here for a stellar journalism opportunity - a woman who had cannibalized her own husband and attempted to feed the meat to her children. It was strange how much she reminded him of them - the weight of human flesh in their stomach no longer ate at him. It had only been a few weeks since Venom had nearly sacrificed himself to save the planet, and already he was out on the coast of southern California, interviewing people about their dead husbands.

   **“Eddie.”**

   The voice wasn’t startling, simply a comfort that he wasn’t alone. Eddie responded with a questioning hum and a tilt of his head.

   **“...I’m hungry.”**

  Of course he was.

  “Alright, let’s get some food, buddy. What are you up for?” Eddie moved back from the railing he was leaning on, leaving the sparkling waters behind.

**“Meat. Live meat.”**

  Venom often suggested live meat. Chocolate and tater tots were his second favorite, and on rare occasions he either requested all three or something out of the ordinary. The one exception to this rule was fruit and vegetables (especially vegetables) because his human companion needed them to be healthy.

* * *

 

  After quietly snatching a few lobsters from a tank at the local Giant, he climbed onto his (their) motorcycle and headed to the hotel they were in for the job. It had already been decided that they would be leaving tomorrow, but the extra night at the hotel was something Eddie was worried about. He still had a lot of month’s rent to pay, after all.

   **“Do not worry about that. We will be fine.”** Venom added, sensing his emotions and vaguely his thoughts. At that point, they were only about a block away from the hotel - it wasn’t very fancy, just a simple beachside hotel whose paint had been worn by salt and time, leaving it patchy and faded. A blue wave decal was still barely visible, but the original light blue of the building had worn away in many places, replaced by simple brick.

  Eddie sent a gentle emotional thank you towards Venom, and did his best to keep his mind in the moment. They walked up the squeaky stairs, Venom lending his speed to make them go faster without fully taking control.

  They entered the room, shutting and locking the door behind them as their armfuls of lobsters (only four in truth) wiggled agitatedly.

   “Here you go.” Eddie breathed, slightly out of breath from running up the stairs. He moved back into their mindspace and allowed Venom to take control. The breathlessness disappeared as the symbiote rippled easily over his body.

  Venom quickly bit into one of the lobsters, unfortunately letting spots of blood sink into the carpet, a strange blue compared to the other stains. The remaining lobsters were also thrown to the ground in the process.

  When Venom took control, Eddie could still see, but the symbiote’s vision was odd. He had amazing night vision, but was honestly a little farsighted. Things closer to him were blurred, though still recognizable, and there was a strange, almost watery quality to what he saw. Venom had a much larger field of vision than any human, and at times like this Eddie could really understand just how powerful the alien was - his mind was always alert, his eyes always wandering, and his head snapping around at the slightest noises. A true predator. It was almost ironic how Eddie felt so safe around him. He could feel that Venom was pleased with his assessment.

  All the same, they settled into a normal night once Venom was done eating - A.K.A. lying on the hotel bed and watching the Game Show Network until they both fell asleep.

  Eddie’s notebook laid forgotten on the bedside table, and a flickering light slowly dimmed until it blew, leaving the two in complete darkness apart from the city lights outside and the glow of the television.

  Though Family Feud was loud on the television, Eddie quickly fell asleep, bringing Venom along with him.

* * *

 

  When they woke, it was to the light of the sun outside the window. The hotel alarm clock (an old thing) showed the wrong time, despite Eddie correcting it when they had first gotten into the hotel. It unfortunately hadn’t gone off, and confusion graced Eddie’s face as he looked at the bright sky outside.

   **“We overslept.”** Venom noted.

  “Wow, really?” Eddie mumbled sarcastically, rubbing sleep from his eyes. He got out of the bed, muscles slightly sore from the hard mattress, and slipped into the shower. The water was cold and the water pressure was barely existent, but he managed to get the job done, feeling much more refreshed in a new set of clothes.

  Sleepiness still lingered in him, but once Eddie got onto their motorcycle and began to drive, the air whipping against his clothes easily woke him. They were both quiet during the drive home, simply enjoying being one.

  After a few hours of driving, Eddie pulled up in front of his old apartment. The sound of a guitar could be heard even from outside, and Eddie sighed.

   **“I could scare him again.”**

  “I’d rather you not,” Eddie said dryly. “I have a feeling that too many repeat appearances are going to end up in a call to the police.”

   **“Hm.”**

  He walked quickly towards the door, the setting sun staining the damp sidewalks pink. They had just made it to their apartment when Eddie’s phone began ringing. Tired from driving, Eddie mindlessly picked up the call.

  “H’llo?” He said, stifling a yawn and settling down on the couch.

  “Hey, Eddie.” Anne’s voice responded.


	2. acacia tree

  “Uh, hey Anne!” Eddie manages to force out, feeling Venom’s interest stirring. “What’s - What’s up?”

  “I just figured that… Maybe you would want to join Dan and I for dinner?” She sounded hesitant, most likely remembering the lobster incident (though she still didn’t know that Venom was still around).

  “Uh-“ 

**“We should go.”** Venom interjected.

  “Okay! Okay, uh, great.” Eddie said shakily, going along with the symbiote’s conclusion.

  “Great! Uh, we’ll pick you up tomorrow around six?” Anne sounded relieved that he had accepted her invitation.

  “Uh, yeah, sounds good.” 

  “See you then, Eddie.” Anne hung up the phone.

  Eddie heaved a sigh, despite Venom’s pleasure at his acceptance haunting the corners of his brain. He went limp on the couch, staring up at the ceiling tiles, darkened with water stains and general decay. 

  He didn’t love Anne anymore, not really. He still liked her, and knew that the symbiote also did, but he was rather uninterested in dating. Besides, Dan and Anne seemed like a nice couple. Hell, their names even rhymed. It’s not like ‘Eddie’ and ‘Venom’ rhymed.

_ Woah, wait, where did that thought come from!?  _ Eddie thought to himself and by extension Venom. He could feel the other’s interest in the statement.

  Eddie sighed. After a long silence, trying to work up the confidence to speak, Eddie began.

  “Venom, what am I to you?”

  The answer is immediate.

**“You are mine.”**

  The answer probably shouldn’t comfort him, but a feeling of security blossoms in his chest and he can feel Venom’s rumbling purr in response. He is quiet for a while longer before speaking again.

  “Do you- do you love me?” Anxiety shortens his breaths and speeds his heartbeat. He can feel Venom’s comforting presence curling gently around his lungs and heart. Eddie could barely believe he said that, eyes still fixed on the ceiling tiles but unseeing.

**“Yes. You are mine. I could never leave you.”** The answer is again immediate. In a different life, Eddie may have only felt disgust and fear at the thought - the fact - of an alien lifeform who resided in his body loving him, but now he simply felt relief. He wasn’t sure in what way Venom loved him, if his concept of love was completely different from his own, nor even if he loved him back, but all the same he was comforted.

  Mindlessly watching reruns of Ghost Hunters, they soon fell asleep on the couch. Eddie dreamed of their life going well, a brightly sunlit apartment housing everything they needed, and of course it was them because in that moment there was no Eddie, no Venom, only  _ them. _

* * *

They woke around 9:30 in the morning. The couch wasn’t the best place to sleep, but to Eddie it was just another set of aches to deal with. Besides, Venom always quickly set to work on reducing the pain.

  The overdue rent notices loomed atop the table, but Eddie easily ignored them. Grabbing a spoon and a yogurt, he quickly half-ate it before dumping the yogurt in the trash and the spoon in the sink.

  He grabbed the last clean pants, shirt, and underwear from the clean pile of clothes. The dirty pile was much bigger and sat in a different corner of the room.

**“Can we take a bath?”**

“We don’t even have a bathtub.”

**“...We could flood the bathroom.”**

“No. No. We are not going to flood the bathroom.”

  Venom’s discontent was washed away as they stepped into the shower, warm water washing over them. It was known between the two that Venom loved warm water. Eddie could feel a rumbling in his chest as Venom expressed his enjoyment, and he smiled in return.

  When they were all showered and clean, Eddie decided to follow a lead that he had heard about before their trip to Pennsylvania. He got onto his motorcycle and was about to drive when the heavy voice of Venom interrupted him.

**“Eddie. Chocolate.”**

Eddie groaned. “C’mon, man, it’s early!”

**“Chocolate. Please.”**

Eddie sighed dramatically and threw his head back. 

  “Fine.”

  He climbed off the motorcycle and made his way to the corner store, allowing Venom partial control of their body to choose what chocolate he wanted. After four king size bars found themselves in his hands, Eddie wrenched back control.

  “Alright, that’s enough.” He quickly took them up to the register and paid, hurrying back to his motorcycle. Venom used his arms to scarf down the chocolate, while Eddie did his best to ignore it. When they got back to the motorcycle, Venom had already eaten all the chocolate, leaving Eddie free to drive.

  His lead was only 45 minutes away, but when he arrived at the address, nobody was there. He knocked on the doors, noting the decayed state of the building and the ones around it, but nobody answered. After waiting another half hour by his motorcycle, Eddie was about ready to leave. Venom’s constant comments only strengthened this decision.

**“Why drive all the way out here for some asshole who doesn’t even show up? We should bite his head off.”**

  “Not a head-biting level offence, V. It was probably just some prank a kid pulled anyway.” This wasn’t really anything new - he had been a very successful reporter, and occasionally someone would recognize his name and either set up a prank call or a surprise date. Needless to say, he did his best to work his way out of the latter.

  He sighed, looking at his watch. 11:46. A lot of time - and money - down the drain. He stretched, feeling Venom stretch with him, and gets back onto his motorcycle without a second glance back.

**“Should we tell her?”**

  “Who?” Eddie asked, though he was well aware who the symbiote was talking about.

**“You know who.”** Venom sounded annoyed - or maybe pouty? - and Eddie supposed that there was no choice in the matter. Either he could refuse to answer and Venom would pester him about it constantly or give him the silent treatment, leaving him terribly lonely, or he could just bite the bullet.

  “...Yeah. I think so.”

**“Why?”**

“You’re not my therapist, dude!”

**“Of course I’m not. Answer the question.”**

“...I don’t want to lie to her.”

**“Why not?”**

  “C’mon, Venom! This isn’t twenty questions!” Eddie smacked one of the motorcycle’s handles in frustration. Venom was, surprisingly enough, quiet. The rest of the drive home was quiet and strangely lonely. It was 12:32 when they finally arrived home, and Eddie was beginning to regret yelling at the symbiote. He wondered if he had offended the symbiote - he was never this quiet for this long. His thoughts began to race, thoughts of the symbiote leaving and leaving him  _ alone. _

  “Venom? Are you there?” Eddie reached out in his mindspace, feeling the familiar presence. “Are you mad at me?”

**“No, Eddie. I thought you wanted me to be quiet. You are upset. Why?”** Venom was always so matter of fact - he said what he meant, and he meant what he said.

  “Oh. Oh.” Eddie ignored the question, focusing on bringing his breathing down to normal. He took one long shaky breath before flopping down on their bed. He could feel Venom curling in his chest, wrapping around his ribs and brushing his heart. It was oddly comforting. Surprisingly, Venom didn’t press for an answer. Eddie had a sinking feeling that he would later, probably at the most inopportune of times.

  However, for the current moment, Venom let him rest. It was only ten minutes before Eddie got up again, determined to find work before he had to start getting ready for dinner with Anne and Dan.

**“We should eat Dan.”** And of course, ever the voice of reason, Venom had to chime in.

  “We’re not eating Dan. He’s a good person.” Eddie responded, turning on the news to see if anything was happening in their area.

**“He tried to seperate us.”** Venom growled, shivers of displeasure echoing through Eddie’s body.

  “He thought you were killing me. I don’t blame him for that.” Eddie could still feel that Venom was not pleased with his answer, but ignored the restless relocation of the symbiote in favor of concentrating on the news. Nothing. In fact, so much nothing that the only thing they were talking about was his and Venom’s rampage a few weeks ago. He wasn’t exactly jumping at the opportunity to write about  _ that _ . Eddie sighed, standing up from the couch and walking over to their fridge. He tried to grab a beer from it, but his hand was stopped in its tracks.

**“No.”** Venom held his arm still.

  “C’mon!” Eddie gritted his teeth and did his best to push against Venom’s strength, but it was unyielding.

**“I do not understand why you continuously wish to poison us.”**

  “I just need a bit of a break! Today’s been stressful!” When his hand still didn’t budge, Eddie sighed heavily. “Fine. You win. I just won’t drink anything.” In response, Venom took full control and filled a glass with water, drinking the whole thing in just a few gulps.

* * *

The rest of the night was mostly peaceful. Eddie got over the incident quickly, and from there it was just a matter of watching the news (though switching between cartoons and the news was a better description - surprisingly, Venom greatly enjoyed cartoons.) and worrying about what to wear.

  Neither of them actually knew where they were going, and thus weren’t sure how to dress (though Venom didn’t much care). Finally, Eddie decided on a simple button-up shirt and dress pants. Looking at himself in the mirror, he thought he looked alright - as alright as he could look, at least.

**“Pretty.”** Venom commented, then chuckled at Eddie’s embarrassment. Eddie did his best to ignore the rising blush, flattening down his shirt before getting as far from the mirror as possible. It was 5:30, and now all there was left to do was wait. Eddie checked his pockets one last time to make sure his phone and wallet were there, before settling on the couch.

**“We should just eat someone’s head off. I don’t understand why you like dead food.”**

  “Dead food is good. That’s how I like to eat it.” Venom scoffed at his reply. 

**“The only good things you eat are tater tots and chocolate.”** Eddie rolled his eyes fondly at the symbiote. The next few minutes were spent in silence, until a knock on the door caught their attention. Eddie got up and opened the door, seeing Dan standing there smiling.

  “Hey, Eddie. Ready to go?” He greeted pleasantly, dressed a smidge more formal than Eddie. Eddie did his best to ignore Venom’s rippling unease and gave his answer.   
  “Yeah, I’m ready.” Eddie said tightly, Venom’s negative emotions making his body stiff and unresponsive. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, and luckily Dan either didn’t notice, or just assumed it was leftover from the trauma. As they were walking to the car, Dan spoke up again.

  “So, how have you been? I know the last few weeks must’ve been hard for you.” He seemed genuinely concerned.

**“We would be better off without him around,”** Venom growled.  **“I don’t want to tell him we’re us.”**

  Ignoring Venom, Eddie replied. “I’ve been okay. Better than I thought I would be after all that.” His symbiote weaved protectively through his ribs, and Eddie could feel a rumbling warning coursing through them.

  “That’s good to hear.” Dan said, though it seemed like he wanted to say more. 

  Anne was in the driver’s seat of the car, and Dan took the passenger seat, so Eddie sat in the back. He didn’t care that much - it was simply a better space for him to whisper to Venom without being seen. He wondered how to break it to them that Venom was still around - would just starting to talk to him in full view give them a hint? No, probably not.

  “Eddie! Hi,” Anne said as he got into the car. “How have you been?” She parroted Dan.

  “Same old, same old, you know how it is. Sorta bored.”

**“I am not boring.”**

“Whatever you say, V.” Eddie whispered at the ground, moving his lips as least as possible. Louder, he spoke again. “So, where are we headed?” He was surprised at how stable his voice sounded - his heart had begun pounding again, and Venom wasn’t exactly being much help.

  “A place called Cotogna - it’s new, but everyone seems to like it so far.” Anne answered. The rest of the drive was mostly populated by small talk, Venom complaining, and Eddie telling Venom to shut up. Soon they saw the restaurant - parking was limited, but Dan managed to spot a space not too far away. The walk in was quiet, but Cotogna was bustling with noise and patrons. After they were seated, tension seemed to permeate the air - Eddie could only assume that they were thinking about the lobster incident.

**“All the food was dead. What were we supposed to do?”**

  Eddie picked up his menu and hid his mouth before answering. “Not jump into the lobster tank and eat a live lobster?” 

**“I don’t blame us.”**

Their waiter came up to the table to ask for their drink orders. Dan ordered a Sprite, and Anne ordered a slightly alcoholic drink that Eddie couldn’t even begin to pronounce.

**“Eddie. Do not order poison.”** Eddie rolled his eyes, deciding to just order water. Dan gave him a concerned look, but Anne didn’t seem to notice, as she was looking at her food menu. The waiter came back with their drinks, placing them on the table.

  “Are you ready to order?” He asked, a pleasantly fake smile on his face. Dan and Anne ordered easily, but Eddie and Venom took one last second to look for the largest thing on the menu that both of them would eat without too much complaint. Eddie was starting to feel lightheaded from how hungry they were. The waiter left to put their orders in, Dan and Anne exchanging an awkward look. 

  “So, uh, Eddie,” Anne began. “The reason we wanted you to come out with us is because, well…” She seemed to not want to say the rest of the sentence.

  “We think you need to go to therapy.” Dan burst out. “It’s- we think it’s the smart decision after what happened.”

  Eddie could feel Venom hissing aggressively beneath his skin, and he was also in some sort of shock state - thinking logically, yeah, it made sense that they would suggest it, but something about the reality of the situation came unexpected.

  “ _ No.” _ Said both Eddie and Venom after what felt like forever. “We- I do not need to go to therapy.” Eddie finished, looking hurt and angry, hands gripping the table violently. Venom sizzled beneath his skin, on the verge of taking control and eating someone’s head off.

  “Eddie, nobody could go through what you did and not need therapy. Please, just think about it. We really do think it’s what’s best for you, especially after what happened with Venom.” Anne said, Dan nodding at her statement. Suddenly, they were filled with an anger so intense there was no way to temper it - a raging fire. They stood up, pushing their chair back in the process, and it was one of the moments where they really were  _ one,  _ movements and emotions linked down to even the smallest atom.

  “ **_We will never be apart.”_ ** They say, voice deep and dangerous, eyes flashing silver. The mere suggestion that they weren’t one was so wrong that they couldn’t help but be furious. Other patrons of the restaurant were staring at them, but they took no notice. Both the others sitting at the table seemed startled and scared, and Eddie slowly sat back down in his seat. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't like the ending, this was supposed to be longer but im too tired to write more so ill just move it to the next chapter.


	3. hawthorn

  Eddie’s eyes ( _ their eyes)  _ bored into the couple on the other side of the table. The other restaurant-goers quickly averted their eyes and returned their attention to their food and conversations, and soon the background chatter resumed, only slightly quieter than before. Both Dan and Anne were wide-eyed, and Dan’s jaw was hanging slightly open.

  “O-okay, we won’t separate you.” Anne said shakily, trying her best to avert a crisis. Eddie could feel Venom shifting around inside his chest, almost as if he was like a cat with it’s fur puffed out. 

  “How- How did it even survive?” Dan asked finally, astonishment present in his eyes. Venom bared their teeth, not as sharp as he would like them but working well enough.

  “ _ Not an it.”  _ Memories flash through Eddie’s head - the heat, the  _ fire _ , being so desperately alone, too-bright lights flashing and sirens blaring, the drag of the water on his clothes - his breath catches in his throat and fear floods his veins. Venom, still on the offensive, gently brushed against his heart.

  Just then, their waiter returned with their food. Setting the largest portion in front of Eddie, they notice how he averts his eyes from their face. He hurriedly sets down the other two plates of food, walking away as fast as possible without drawing too much attention. Eddie feels a sharp pain of hunger, unthinkingly picking up the steak - rare - on his plate and biting deep into it. After only a few seconds, he spit it out. 

  “ _ Dead _ .” They snarl, hunger still burning them from the inside out. Anne’s eyes dart to their plate and back to their face, anger still obvious.

  “I think - I think we need to have this conversation somewhere else.” When no complaint arose from either Eddie or Venom, Anne flagged down a waitress, asking for their check. She asked if they wanted boxes, but with a glance back at Eddie she immediately waved off the idea. The minutes while they were waiting for the check were tense, Eddie lost in his mind and fighting against his and Venom’s anger so as to not crack the table - his hands were tightly clenched around the edge.

  The waitress set their check down on the table, and Anne quickly fished some money out of her purse before shoving it all back to the waitress. 

  “Keep the change.” She said, immediately getting up to leave, Dan soon following. Eddie’s reaction was delayed (Venom wasn’t in the most cooperative of moods), but he soon too followed. They got into the car, Eddie slumped in the backseat like the last time Anne had found out about his symbiote. It was quiet until Anne got the car started.

  “Eddie, we’re going to the hospital.” Dan said, twisting around in his seat to look at him. When Eddie’s eyes flashed dangerously silver, he hurried to reassure both him and the alien living inside of him. “Don’t worry, we won’t be doing an MRI. I just want to make sure you’re one hundred percent okay.”

**“We are fine.”** Venom snapped, dark tendrils snaking around Eddie’s neck and hands.

  “We-We’re fine. Really.” Eddie tried to voice the thought, albeit a bit more nicely than Venom had said it. Apparently dissatisfied with this response, Venom formed his head, teeth bared. Eddie swore under his breath as the symbiote formed.

**“We are FINE.”** Both Dan and Anne jumped at the sudden voice, plus the appearance of Venom. The car swerved to the side, but luckily Anne got it back under control before they could hit anything.

  “Venom! What are you doing!?” Eddie hissed, trying to draw the symbiote closer to him and out of sight of the two others. Venom hissed lowly, curling protectively around his neck and resting on his shoulders. Eddie clenched his fists so hard they nearly bled.

* * *

  Finally,  _ finally _ , they were at the hospital. Venom had shrunk down to simply displaying a few strings of himself over Eddie’s skin, angrily pouting in their mindspace. He stays quiet during their exam - a simple checkup by Doctor Dan Lewis himself. The only real difference from a routine checkup were the X-rays, and even then it was simply a matter of waiting for them to be looked over before being given the clear.

  “Eddie,” Dan said nervously. “Your liver seems to have taken some slight damage.” Or being given the almost-clear, Eddie supposed.

  “It’s because we’re  _ hungry _ .” Eddie tries to respond evenly, voice growling at the end. At this point it was hard to restrain himself from actually jumping at Dan and trying to eat his head off. Surprisingly, as far as he could tell none of the urge was Venom’s - it was all his, his own mind making him think of crunching through bone and tissue as though it were the most luxurious meal to ever exist. It kind of was, in a way.

  Evidently Eddie staring at Dan’s eyes and licking his lips after the dinner fiasco was slightly off-putting (to put it lightly) as the doctor’s nervousness increased and he took a step back. Part of Eddie took pleasure in knowing that they inspired fear in others, an instinctual thing of being in the presence of a great predator. The rest of him was worried about Venom, seeing as how he still hadn’t said a word throughout the whole visit. The symbiote usually had something to say, even if it was just “I’m hungry” or “I’m bored” or “I want to eat that guy’s head off.”

  “Well, uh, just - eat something?” Dan seemed reluctant to offer that advice, probably fearing that they would go on another head-eating spree. Eddie nodded, looking down at his hands instead of Dan’s eyes, which still looked delicious. He felt a bit nauseous - what was he to be craving human meat?

  Anne asked about their results the moment they were out, and after a quick confirmation from Eddie Dan relayed the information to her. Eddie tuned their conversation out, mindlessly letting himself follow the couple and climb into the car. He was really starting to get worried about Venom - he was sure it had something to do with their unscheduled doctor’s appointment, but the fact that Venom  _ still _ hadn’t said anything was unprecedented. Before long, the car pulled up to their shitty apartment, and Eddie exchanged quick goodbyes with Anne and Dan before hurrying up to his apartment, still craving blood. 

  He settled for tater tots, hoping the familiar taste would maybe bring Venom out of hiding. He gorged them by the handful, more intent on fulfilling their hunger than having a proper meal. He finally felt the other’s presence stir at both the taste and the amount of tots. Out of nowhere, Venom suddenly took control, his jagged teeth ripping through the rest of the tater tots in the bag like they were nothing. Their hunger increased tenfold, as though by eating they had awakened it. They scrambled for the fridge, nearly tearing the door off its hinges as they jerked it open. They nearly gagged at the strong scent of death emanating from the lunchmeat on the top shelf - they threw it behind them, vaugely noticed the bump it made as it crashed into the wall. They growled deeply when they noticed that there was nothing for them to eat in the fridge - nothing alive. A flash of an idea came into their head - their neighbor. 

  Ripping their apartment door back open, they easily broke through the wood of the door opposite theirs. They caught a glimpse of anger on their neighbor’s face before it morphed into shock and fear. They didn’t waste any time, pouncing on him with a chorus of hunger in their mind.  _ The eyes! Go for the eyes! _ Eddie barely realized that he was the one screaming that in their mind, that he was the one who gave their bite a little extra force. They finished the meal quickly, licking spilled blood from the floor. Still, they were starving. They went still, thinking for barely a moment of where their next meal should be, before hearing voices out the opened window. 

  “Get away! No! Don’t touch me!” Said someone, and the answering rumble was too quiet to make out. All the same, they leapt out of the window (breaking it in the process) and immediately sunk their teeth deep into flesh. The person they had just saved was staring fearfully up at them, and they growled in warning before turning their attention back to the person in their mouth. 

  After that, the hunger was manageable enough for them to climb back up through the window and into their apartment. Venom sinking back under his skin, Eddie suddenly felt exhaustion wash over him. Guilt and disgust appeared too - why had he  _ wanted _ to eat his neighbor?! He exhaled loudly, not bothering to take a shower before climbing into bed.

  “...Venom?” He asked quietly. The symbiote shifted in response, attention on him. “I’m sorry about today. It… didn’t go the way we planned.”

**“Sleep, Eddie.”** Venom responded, sending a wave of forgiveness and love towards him. He would still be a little pouty, and would probably demand chocolate later, but at least they were okay for tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall writing is hard shit


	4. king rat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i changed the plot a bit. and also jsyk chapter titles mean nothing i just put fancy words in there

  The pain was all-consuming, ripping through his abdomen, through his ribs and heart, overtaking his mind. The only things Eddie were aware of was that he was alone and he was dead. Dying. He reached out within his mind desperately, searching for the familiar presence of his symbiote. Simultaneously, Venom weakly inched towards his dying host. The atmosphere burned, but the pain was finally relieved as he crept into his host’s near-dead body. Just as he was fixing the damage done by Riot, intertwining himself with his host’s consciousness as their feedback loop of desperate relief bounced back and forth between them, the wind was viciously clawing against them.

  The heat was worse now - beautiful plumes of fire surrounded them, the vibrant colors burning their imprint on their eyes, pain receptors lagging behind the actual action as their skin burned. Eddie held onto his symbiote with all his power, tears evaporating from his eyes before they could be shed. Smoke filled his lungs as he finally lost his grip on the symbiote.

  Eddie shot up from his bed, eyes wide and unseeing and lungs heaving desperately. He held Venom’s presence tight in his mind, hands grabbing uselessly at his own arms. He slowly sinks back down into their bed, sweat dripping down his face and irritating his eyes. He and Venom didn’t need words - the warmth of their hands and their minds pushing concepts back and forth was enough for both of them. Their heart still beat frantically, fear and anxiety still gnawed at their mind, but it was almost an afterthought with how engrossed in each other they soon became.

  They stayed in bed until around seven, at which point Eddie finally dragged them out of bed. He checked his phone - a text from Anne. He furrowed his brow, opening it up.

  ‘Hey, Eddie, just wanted to let you know to be on the lookout for any stray dogs - there have been a few cases of rabies recently. It’s not out to the media yet, so we wanted to warn you. Be careful.’

  Concern didn’t light in their chest - Eddie appreciated the warning, but both he and Venom were certain that the virus couldn’t hurt them even if it tried. All the same, it made for work - the possible saving people from a rabid dog bit was just the bloody cherry on top. They got ready quickly, Venom brushing their teeth as Eddie went ahead with their shower. Venom, hidden in plain sight at a scarf, chewed contentedly on a king-sized bar of chocolate as Eddie hopped onto his motorcycle. Another fifteen minutes had them at the edge of a maze of alleyways, littered with broken glass and graffiti.

  They were more on their guard now - Eddie suspected that there was most likely more than one animal carrying the infection, and also that it was more likely for whatever had it to be hiding out mostly in the poorer neighborhoods (where it was less likely for something to be done about it). Not that he thought it had the sense of reason to come to that conclusion, just that it hadn’t come in contact with the authorities for all he knew.

  They searched for hours, taking a quick break whenever they found some type of violent crime going on. Surprisingly, there weren’t many - the people they had seen seemed anxious to leave, and the one would-be rapist they ate obviously wasn’t from the area. The sky was stained a beautiful orange when they finally caught sight of the rabies-carrier. Well, it caught them if you wanted to be specific.

  After no sign of much for a while, both Eddie and Venom had let down their guard a bit - it was this, and pure luck, that the dog’s teeth managed to sink deep into their leg. Their consciousnesses quickly merged into one, whirling around with sharp teeth and streaking white eyes. The transformation was quick, and so was their rising anger. The stray was a mangy thing, partially bald in patches with skin stretched tight to bone. The wild look in her eyes was unmistakable, her drooling lips and twitching limbs a dead giveaway of her disease. A strong slam of their claws into her side was enough to collapse her delicate ribcage, leaving her dead on the ground of the alleyway. They sniffed at her body once before recoiling, impossibly baring their teeth wider in disgust.

  Mission accomplished as much as they cared to, they seperated a tad. Venom began leading the way back to their motorcycle, jumping from wall to wall in weightless bounds until landing just a few feet away from their bike. He sank back beneath Eddie’s skin as he climbed onto it, already writing the introduction of his piece in his head. The drive back home was short, and they barely looked back as they ran up to their apartment. Eddie shoved his laptop open, determined not to let this flash of inspiration go to waste. He barely noticed as time passed, Venom thankfully distracting himself with the TV.

  He submitted the article to his editor just as the clock hit ten, slumping back against the couch. Vertigo hit him like a train as he did, and he groaned and pressed a hand to his temple as he waited for it to die down. Venom stirred in response to the feeling, his formed head turning to look at him quizzically.

   **“Eddie?”**

“It’s nothin, bud. Just some vertigo.” Eddie replied, smiling over at the symbiote. Venom huffed in response, muttering something about humans being weak, but a wave of attachment and relief washed over both of them. Venom snuggled close to his human as Eddie put his laptop away, getting more comfortable on the couch as he turned his attention to whatever Venom had decided he wanted to watch that night. They were full, comfortable, and happy. Eddie revealed in the moment, barely even noticing the way the light made his headache worse as he let himself drift into the world of whatever sitcom was playing.


End file.
